1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a movable mounting bracket arm for use in a ground well, concrete tank, or the like.
2. Background Information
Currently, a sturdy arm with a mounting bracket at one end is affixed to a wall of water or wastewater wells or tanks for holding sensitive equipment out over the surface of the water or wastewater in the well or tank. The existing arm is generally horizontal and parallel to the water surface and extends out over the center of the well or tank. An ultrasonic sensor, for example, can be dangled from the free end of the existing arm over the water surface so that the changing water level in the well can be automatically measured. Unfortunately, the currently used arm and the sensitive equipment mounted on it must be removed by unfastening the mounting bracket if any work is to be done in the well. Removal is awkward, since the worker must lean down into the well from ground level, and the sensitive equipment can be damaged during removal and reinstallation.
There is currently a need for a commercially available mounting bracket arm that can be moved out of the way of machinery going into the well. The two-way mounting bracket arm of the present invention, as well as any sensitive equipment mounted to it, can be moved adjacent to the well wall, where it is out of the way of work being done in the well. When the work has been completed, the present mounting bracket arm can be grasped and pulled back into its extended position. This saves time previously spent unscrewing the bracket, and decreases the likelihood of damage to the sensitive equipment, or the arm, from repeated installation and removal from the well. It also avoids the need for readjusting and recalibrating the sensitive equipment once the arm has been reinstalled in the well.
The movable hinged mounting bracket arm of the present invention is coupled to a mounting bracket at its distal end. The mounting bracket is mountable on a generally vertical wall of a water well. The bracket arm of the present invention is usable for mounting sensitive electronic, laboratory, or similar type equipment, such as an ultrasonic sensor, float, or pH probe.
When work is to be done in a well, or if the worker simply needs an unimpaired view down the well, the bracket arm of the present invention can be xe2x80x9cbrokenxe2x80x9d and pushed either to the far left or the far right to a bent, xe2x80x9crestingxe2x80x9d position adjacent to the well wall, where the arm and equipment are out of the way. When work has been completed, the worker can easily reset the bracket in its original, extended position. Another advantage of the present invention is that the free end of the bracket arm is movable in a semicircular arc, which allows repositioning of sensitive equipment, such as a pH meter, to alternate positions in addition to its position at the center of the well.
The present invention is a movable mounting bracket arm assembly for use in a well or tank, including:
(a) a mounting bracket attachable to a wall of a well or tank;
(b) a movable mounting bracket arm comprised of a posterior segment attachable at one end to the mounting bracket, and a breakaway anterior segment removably attachable to an opposite end of the posterior segment, the anterior segment being pivotally coupled to the posterior segment; and
(c) a means of suspending at least one monitoring or sampling device in a downward direction from the anterior segment.